Caught in Confusion
by Adamine Beifong
Summary: What would happen if Magnus Bane's "creation" was wanted by the vampire mafia? Who would step in? Would anyone? OC story, MI charectors, part AU.
1. The Meeting

***After City of Fallen Angels. I know there's another book, I choose to ignore it. I don't own The Mortal Instruments, rated M for later **

**chapters. Violence and possible rape in later chapters. You have been warned. Oh, they also swear. A lot. Two disclaimers: I do not own**

**The Mortal Instruments, or Alou. sunshine5000 is Alou's character Mommy. She owns her. Incidentally, sunshine5000 is co-writing this **

**story, but it's in Leaf's P.O.V, (mostly) so it's on my account.***

* * *

I huddled in the corner of an alleyway, my breathing ragged. I was shaking, terrified out of my wits. Blood was flowing down my back and

arms, but I couldn't do anything to stop it. Even an _iratze_ did nothing. My weapons, none runed. I felt like an idiot, but then again, it's not like I

was going demon hunting. I didn't have to. They usually found me. "I can smell her blood. She's around here somewhere." A cold, smooth

voice. Vampire. I flinched, pushing myself further into my hiding place between a couple boxes. "The blood's everywhere…" Another, different

vampire. "How can you tell that she is here?" The first vampire snorted. "It's fresher, idiot. See? It's better here," He pointed toward where I

was sitting, but even though he couldn't see me, he could probably hear my breathing. "Then over there." He jerked his head toward the

entrance to the alleyway. He approached the crates I was behind and I stopped breathing, for a second. He pushed the boxes aside to find

me. He smirked. "Hello." I launched myself at him, was caught by the throat and slammed into a wall. I struggled, trying to land a kick on him.

He laughed. "Child, you've been running all night. Give it up already. It's more for your benefit than mine, I'm sure. I mean, you've already

been bitten _how many times_?" I flinched away from him, seeing he had taken a vial out of his pocket. His hand tightened on my throat. "Now,

Leaf, this will be much easier if you don't fight me. Open up!" He forcibly opened my jaws and set the rim of the vial onto my lip. "Such a sad

fate for a Shadowhunter, changing, especially into a… how should I say it? Subjugate. But you're not an accepted Nephilim anyways, are you,

Leaf?" I managed to bite his middle finger, hard, cracking the glass of the vial and spilling some blood into my mouth, which I refused to

swallow. He released me, and I fell to the ground. "You little bitch!" He kicked at my stomach brutally, causing me to cry out in pain, but also

enabling me to spit out the blood. "You don't fucking _deserve_ to be changed! You should be tied and bitten, for days and days on end.

Wouldn't that be fun?" he smiled, quite sadistically. "Nevertheless, orders _are_ orders." He crouched down next to me, wary of my mouth. "Leaf,

either you drink this, or I will take a needle and inject it into your bloodstream. Is that perfectly clear?" I nodded, fear shining in my eyes. I

looked up towards him, seeking a way to escape the vampire. I thought I saw a shadow, I shook it off. If nobody had come yet, it stood to

reason that they wouldn't. I looked again, and seeing movement, my spirits rose. "Get the fuck away from her!" The vampires' heads turned. It

seemed as if someone had _yelled _at the vampires. How stupid can you get? The glint of a weapon caught my eye. At least they were armed. An

arrow whizzed by the master vampire's head. "What the fuck?" He muttered, "Show yourself!" The vampire yelled, angered. "Are you blind?"

The figure responded, leaning forward. The vampire studied the arrow, hissing. "Now, are you going to leave or am I going to put one

between your eyes?" I listened to the figure with intense interest. Quite a feminine voice – it was probably a girl, or a young woman. The

vampire lieutenant, not the master, shrugged. "Why should we be afraid of you? You've never given us-"An arrow sank between his eyes, and

the head vampire didn't look worried. "He's not important." The figure shrugged. "What's stopping me from killing you?" The vampire's head

ducked. "Case in point. We will leave. For now." The figure stepped forward into the light, though a hood covered her face. "If I see you doing

the likes of this again, I won't hesitate." Her fingers rested on a nocked arrow. The vampires fled the alley, however slowly. The figure, quite

obviously a female, jumped off the roof and handed me a stele. I shook my head. "Doesn't work, I already tried it. Or did you think me a

complete imbecile?" She shrugged her shoulders. "Just thought I'd be polite. Here, try these." She tossed me some bandages, "Unless you

need my help?" It was spoken as a question. "Any…" I coughed, my voice had sounded quite harsh. "Do you have any Holy Water?" She

handed me a vial. I took it and downed about three quarters of it, wincing as the liquid burned down my throat. "Got a place to stay?" I tilted

my head to the side. "Are you offering?" She laughed, but it sounded forced. "Only if you need it." Possibilities ran through my head. The

Institute… well, off-limits, anyways… Luke… well, he would probably lock me in his store for eternity, Madame Dorothea's 'sanctuary' wasn't

exactly open to me, and that left… the Pack, maybe, but that was an extension of Luke's, and besides, most of them either hated me or

wanted me dead. Or both. "Yeah, maybe I'll take you up on your offer. Where is this place?" She smiled slightly. "Follow me. Keep up, I'm not

waiting." I looked pained at the thought. She laughed, but didn't seem exactly with me. "Alright, need some help? I'm not going to tell you

where we're going, just… trust me, okay?" Muttering under her breath, she said, "Not that I trust you." I rolled my eyes, taking her

outstretched hand. "Why shouldn't you trust me? I mean, it's not like I could fight you in this state. I couldn't fight _anybody_ right now. Not that

I'd attack you, in any case." She hauled me to my feet, nearly making me scream in agony. "Leaf, it's not that I think you're untrustworthy. I

don't trust. Anybody." Something occurred to me, and I scowled. "How did you know my name?" She smirked. "How does someone know the

sky is blue? Lucky guess. Or perhaps the mysteries of the world unravel at my touch." I frowned. "Are you sure the sky isn't purple and made

7of hedgehogs? What's your name, anyways? Since you seem to know mine." She made no visible response. "You totally took that from a

book, you're not that smart. My name… It's for me to know and well… you might find out, if you're lucky." I shook my head, ignoring my

wounds. "I'm not going with you before you tell me your name." She sharply turned, toward the moth of the alley. "If you don't want to come

with me you don't have to. Have fun with the vampires, though, because I don't think you can leave without help." My wounds started to throb

at the mere suggestion of another vampire attack. I sighed, defeated.


	2. Thin Ice

***Language and violence. Mentions of rape. You have been warned. Co-op with Sunshine5000. I do not own the Mortal Instruments. **

**Amatis is sort of dead in this. It's kind of like an AU, except not really***

* * *

The apartment was pretty plain, a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom. Nothing extraordinary, beige walls, white floors. A place to go insane in. She

led me over to the couch, sort of supporting me, but mainly dragging. "Enjoy you're stay. I have… business to attend to. Don't kill anybody

while I'm gone, including yourself. Oh, don't worry about vampires. They can't come in." She said, smirking, probably because she knew

something I didn't. Some people… "A) I'm not suicidal; B) I pretty much figured the place was warded. Again, unlike the Clave, I'm not an idiot,

nor do I have the intelligence of a doorstop." She laughed, again forced. "You're being very, very nice to the Clave. Leaf." On my name her

voice darkened. She seemed to disappear out the door, slamming it behind her. I rolled my eyes. "Again, some people just rub me the wrong

way," I muttered. I reached into my pocket to fiddle with my knife. "My fucking weapons are gone! That bitch!" I tore apart drawers and

cabinets, intent on finding my possessions. Nothing. Not even my family ring. Seriously, who steals a Shadowhunters' identity ring? Not that

my identity was important, but still, a family ring is a family ring, whether you want it or not, whether it matters or not. I started ripping chunks

out of the flooring. I was _going _to find my stupid ring.

* * *

**Alou's P.O.V:**

* * *

As I walked down the abandoned station's hallway, confusion was clear to my features. Thoughts ran through my head as I walked toward

the vampire. 'Why the girl? Why Leaf, particularly? Why send the Mafia, it's not like she had any holy weapons, anything special. By God, she

didn't even have Holy Water on her!' The door to the office stood out from the rest due to the dull light coming from underneath the door itself.

I entered quietly, not noticed by the vampire within. "Hello, Camille. It's been a long time, hasn't it? Not long enough, not for my taste." She

looked startled at the sound of my voice. "Oh. It's you." Poison dripped from her tone. "Oh, you're not happy to see me? Well, I'm not happy to

see you either. But, like always, that's besides the point. I need information, Camille, and you're going to give it to me. I will rip your throat out

if you don't have what I need." I smirked at her. "It's not like you don't know why I hate you and your kind, Camille." My voice darkened on the

last. Camille rolled her eyes. "Please, Child. I am not afraid of you, nor will I ever be!" Her voice raised slightly on the second-last word. Before

she knew it, I was behind her, knife at her throat. "You should be afraid, Camille. Especially after your son…" I let the sentence hang in the air.

Camille gritted her teeth. "Don't you dare mention Abaddon! Not after… That. Anyways," She regained her regal air and continued. "What do

you want, Alou?" I shrugged my shoulders. "You know what I want. I want you to die. But alas, I still have use for you. I want to know why

the Mafia wanted Leaf." Camille looked utterly bewildered. "Who, on God's name, is Leaf, and why do you care?" I closed my eyes and

smirked, tightening my grip on my weapon. "Camille, don't pretend to be stupid, though it's probably second nature. You know who Leaf is, I'm

sure. Oh, wait… then again; you're not the leader of the Clan anymore, are you? You don't hold any power…" She hissed, and I held my blade

up to the light. "Now, Camille, let's not be feisty. Why do they want her? Or… you could just not answer, in which case… who should I kill first?

Archer or Walker?" Camille lowered her eyes, though hostility was clear in her tone. "They wanted her as a subjugate. I told them she was

Nephilim, and if they wanted the law on their heads it was their concern. End of story." My eyes were as if they could burn holes in her

forehead, and I no longer wore my hood. "I'm not sure they wanted her as a subjugate, Camille. If they did, why bite her? You force-feed a

subjugate vampire blood, maybe bite them once." Camille shook her head. "I know only what I have been told." She said, annoyed. "Good

night, Camille. I hope – for both his sake and yours – that Raphael knows more." With that, I disappeared into the shadows.

* * *

I hid in the rafters, hidden, unheard, unseen. I cleared my throat, holding up my bow with an arrow cocked, so he could clearly see the tip of

the weapon. "Hello, Raphael. I should hope you can help me more than Camille could." He looked up. "Come out in the open, coward!" I

stepped into the light. "I hardly think you can get by with calling me a coward, Raphael. Especially not after what you've done." He hissed, and

I waved him off. "I don't really care if you hiss at me like some deranged cat. I simply want to ask you a question." Raphael ducked his head,

showing his fangs. "I don't have to tell you anything." I shrugged my shoulders, smiling. "Than what's to stop me from killing you?" Raphael

looked up. "Nothing, I suppose." I cocked my head. "Why do you want Leaf? I mean, she's just a scared little girl. Why send the Mafia?"

Raphael shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips. "It's not me that wants her, actually. To my understanding, her blood is highly addictive, not

unlike yours, but without the… **_unpleasant_** side effects." My eyes blazed. "Any vampire who does as much as touch Leaf without her consent

will die. She doesn't deserve… that." My voice grew quiet. "Nobody deserves that. Not even **_you_**." My eyes narrowed. "If you don't want her,

who does? Answer, or my finger might just slip." Raphael raised his eyebrows. "Might it? I'm actually not sure, just… other vampires. Vampires

who know you. Vampires that have enough money to call on the elite." I tensed, memories washing through my head. "So Camille. Or… It

doesn't seem as though Camille would go through all that trouble for a single girl. So who else, Raphael?" I spat his name like a curse.

Raphael's eyes darkened. "I think we both know who, do we not?" My face whitened, my finger went slack. The arrow missed his face by less

than a centimetre. "He's **dead**. He's dead and will remain dead for all of eternity." Raphael smiled. "Maybe you should check your victims before

you leave town" I pulled out a bottle of Holy water, and smashed it over his head. He cried out in pain. "You deserve worse, Raphael, after all

that you have done." A vampire burst through the door, ignoring Raphael's shout, he grabbed my arm, twisting it until it broke. I turned

around and punched him in the face. "I don't feel pain, you idiot. Besides, you're burning yourself." I walked toward the door to the Dumort. A

vampire jumped at me, fangs out. I ran him through with my dagger. "Idiot. Don't touch me." I dropped him and left the Dumort, annoyed and

hurt from things long past.

* * *

***Leaf's P.O.V***

I was woken by the sound of ruffling. I stayed very still, my eyes searching for a sign of the figure's identity. "Is she even breathing?" I head a

whisper, coming from the shadow. I was blinded for a second, until my eyes adjusted to the sudden light. It was only the girl. "You idiot, I

thought you had died in your sleep!" I rolled my eyes. "And I thought you were a psychotic vampire, but I'm not yelling at you, am I?" She

shrugged. "If I'm a vampire, why haven't I bitten you already?" She strode across the room, quite quickly, but I was at her side in an instant.

Vampire wounds healed quickly, due to their 'magical spit', so although I was quite beaten up; I wasn't in pain from the bites. "You're covered

in blood. What happened?" I noticed that her arm was broken, and I grabbed her arm, setting it. I ignored the burning sensation in my hands.

I noticed that she was wearing leather gloves, as she had probably been for a while. Hell, her entire attire was leather, except for her cloak.

She obviously fancied herself as badass. "Don't touch me, don't help me. Don't think I actually need you. I'm fine, and besides, you're _just _

_hurting yourself_." I shrugged my shoulders. "You have Holy water on your hands, most likely." She looked confused for a second; she shrugged

"No, no Holy water." She looked around. "But… Wow. You _really_ did a number on this place. Clean it up. I'm going to go get changed. It'd

_better_ be clean when I get back. You have about fifteen minutes to clean… **_this_** up." I held my hand out expectantly. "Not until I get my ring

back." She raised her eyebrows, and I hadn't realized she had her hood on, but just over her hair and forehead. "What ring?" She sounded

quite innocent. "The ring that _was_ in my pocket. I'd like it back." She held up a small silver object. "This?" I went to snatch it, but she tossed it

into the air and caught it. "I never knew you were a Graymark, Leaf. You learn something new every day, I suppose." She handed it back to

me. "My weapons, too." She laughed, quite strained. "Why on Earth would I give you those? If I wanted to kill you, I could've done it already."

She left the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. '_How had she recognised the ring? Luke had been the last owner, but it was silver, so… It _

_was given to me when I turned thirteen, when I got my Marks. Also, how the hell did her flesh burn me? Did she know something I didn't?' _I

snorted, amused at my own thoughts. Of _course_ she knew something I didn't. There was that saying: _If you're feeling overconfident, there's _

_probably something you don't know._ It was almost always true. I snapped my fingers, pleased when the pieces of the room flew back into place.

It was something I had always been able to do, but I was Nephilim, so it wasn't exactly normal. I usually kept it hidden. I didn't feel the

needed to from the girl. She probably already knew. "I _also_ didn't know you could do _that_. I've learned two things today. That's got to be a

new record." I turned around, my face ashen. "A word of this to _anyone_, Nephilim, and that word will be your last." She smiled, baring her

teeth. "Now **_I'm_** Nephilim? Correct me if I'm wrong, but you're the one with the marks. Let me see, I bet I can prove myself right." She pulled

my sleeve up, her eyes widening at the burns. "Leaf," she said, her voice was quiet, "How did you get these marks?" I played stupid. "By a

stele." She pointed to the burns. "Those marks, you idiot. The scorched flesh. Why is it burned?" I wasn't sure where she got off ignoring the

thick scars that adorned my arms, but I didn't really want her to comment on them. "Told you already. Holy water burns me. I had to clean out

the bites, and it has to be done in Holy water. Health Care happened. Now, I suppose you're going to ask about _these_ stupid things?" I

jabbed my finger at a long, harsh cut that ran from my shoulder to my hand. "No. But on the topic of vampires, I think I know why they want

you." My head jerked up as I pulled my sleeve down. "I'm listening." She made no visible response other than continuing, "Your blood… It's like

a drug. Quite like my own blood, but it is not poisonous, unlike mine. Flawed, the blood that runs through our veins. Poisoned. Poisoned, by…

well, what haven't I been poisoned by? The demon blood makes you utterly delectable, Leaf. Well, at least to vampires." She spat the word

_vampires_. It was obvious she wasn't exactly with me. "Maybe your blood is tainted or sweet or whatever, but I can't see why mine would be.

Unlike you, I am neither a blackmailer nor a violent miscreant. What's bothering you, anyhow?" She snorted. "Memories repeating themselves,

but wouldn't you like to know what ones? Now I'm going to go freshen up, seeing as you haven't let me due to your witchcraft." I glared at her

as she strode over to a previously locked door, and then, without using a key, opened it. She slammed the door shut behind her. "Quid enim

erat quod?" I muttered. I then shook my head. Latin, although it was my first language, was quite annoying when I slipped into it. I lay down

on the couch, intent on sleeping. My eyes shut and I drifted off into an unsettled sleep…

* * *

***Alou's P.O.V.***

I sat in my room, head in my hands. I was supposed to be cleaning up, but I could hear slow breathing. Leaf was asleep. _Crash._ I was up in

two seconds flat, rushing to my bedroom. What the hell… "Isabelle Sophia Lightwood, what the fuck are you doing in my house?" I said the

words slowly, carefully, making sure she would hear each and every one of them. Isabelle stepped back, alarmed. "Oh…" She said weakly.

"Hello. I'm just, uh… I'm supposed to look for Jace everywhere in the city. This apartment is part of everywhere. So, if I could search it…" I

raised my knife, pointing it towards Isabelle. "Out. I don't know why you would think I'd have Jace. I am not my brother, Isabelle." _Bang._ I

winced. "What was that?" Isabelle demanded. "Ah… a guest of mine. She's already destroyed my house and put it back together. In the space

of about three hours." Isabelle cocked her head, confusion clear on her face. "You let her destroy your house? Who is she, anyways? Some

vampire?" I shook my head, suddenly hostile. "No vampire. Actually, Izzy, it's someone you might be familiar with. Leaf Bane. Of course, you

know her as Leaf Garroway –"I was interrupted. "Graymark." I shook my head. "What?" Isabelle rolled her eyes. "Her name is Leaf Graymark,

not Leaf Garroway. Graymark is a Nephilim name. Garroway was the alias of Luke." I glared at Isabelle, although I was wearing my hood, I

was sure she could sense it. "What matters is that you leave. Now, Isabelle." Isabelle huffed. "Why can't I see her? It's not like I don't know

Leaf." My glare hardened. "It's not like I think Leaf actually wants to see you. Go." Without another word, Isabelle jumped out the window, the

way she came. I stripped off my many layers of weapons, sitting down on my bed. I wondered what Leaf had broken this time. Shaking my

head, I went through the divider door, into the living room of Leaf's quarters. She was on the floor. It looked as if she had fallen off the couch

into the wooden table, for she had a big purple bruise on the side of her face. "Leaf," I whispered softly, "Are you alright?" I gained no

response, so I picked Leaf up and set her on the couch. Now able to see her entire face, it was clear she was having a nightmare. I put my

hand on Leaf's shoulder, praying to Raziel that she wouldn't wake up. She seemed to calm, her body relaxing. I breathed out a sigh of relief.

"_Quare…_" I heard a whisper, checked to see that she was asleep. She tilted her head, resting her chin and cheek on my hand, shocking me. I

drew my hand away from her slowly, intent on leaving her undisturbed. "_Cur vobis auxilium me?" _I froze, narrowing my eyes. Leaf either _really_

\talked in her sleep or was awake. My eyes scanned her face, looking for a sign, anything. No flutter of eyelids, nothing to tell me she was

awake. I was dealing with a sleep-talker. Nice. I left the room, slamming the door behind me. _'Only three hours until morning,' _I reminded

myself. I leaned against a cupboard, taking a deep breath. I could hear Leaf muttering, even through the walls. No more listening to people

that talked in their sleep. I didn't want to know.


	3. The Falling Tavern

***I do not own the Mortal Instruments. Also: SO SORRY for not updating! Sunshine5000 and myself haven't had as much time to write as **

**we would like, cause, I... uh... managed to get grounded. Whoops!***

***Leaf's P.O.V.***

When I woke up I was greeted by the sound of cooking bacon. "Good morning. Eat something." I rubbed my eyes, feeling quite defiant.

"Who's going to make me?" Her eyes hardened. "I will." There was no arguing with her tone. "Quod pretium?" She raised her eyebrows.

"What was that?" My cheeks burned. "At what price?" She laughed, quite amused. "You're asking me what will happen to me if I force food

down your throat. I'm presuming nothing. Unless, of course, you think you can harm me, in which case… Fight me." My eyebrows rose.

"Again,not an idiot. I'm not armed, you're covered in weapons. I've no death wish, and I have no reason to believe you would spare my life."

Sheshrugged her shoulders and leaned forward, so I could feel her breath on my face. "If I wanted you dead you would be already. Remember

that, Leaf." I flinched back, alarmed. She rolled her eyes. "Eat. Now." I hesitantly took a piece of toast, figuring there was no possible way she

could poison toast. I mean, it was toast, for God's sake. Just toast. I took a bite, expecting it to be burnt. It wasn't, thankfully. Nor did it taste

like perfume. "It's better that Isabelle's," I commented. The girl narrowed her eyes. "I should hope so. Isabelle's cooking is terrible." I laughed,

realizing it was the first time I had in days. "I do agree with you there. However, even Isabelle's poison is better than no food at all." She

raised an eyebrow. "When did you last eat?" She seemed hesitant to ask. I ducked my head and bit my lip. I looked up. "About… I don't

know… maybe four days?" I could hear her sharp intake of breath. "Four days, Leaf. You're telling me you haven't eaten in four days." I turned

my head, letting my hair fall partially in front of my face, hiding it. "Yeah." I could feel her hand on my shoulder. "Leaf, look at me." I couldn't tell

whether her voice was soft or commanding, but nevertheless, I did as she asked. She seemed shocked that I had obeyed. "You need to eat

more than that piece of toast. Go on, it's not poisoned. I swear it on my life." I shook my head. "I'm not hungry," I mumbled. Her hand

tightened, causing her nails to dig into my flesh. "You need to eat." I sighed, regretting that she was right. "I'll eat. Stop glaring at me like

\you're going to strangle me. Please." The last word was added as an after-thought. I grabbed a plate of cold scrambled eggs. She walked

over toward a wall, reached into it and pulled out a sword. I slowly ate the stupid scrambled eggs. "Leaf, we're going somewhere, you will

need to be armed." I raised my eyebrows. "Duly noted. Where are we going?" She tossed me the sword, careful it wouldn't leave its sheath. I

caught it by the hilt. "We're going to Taki's to meet a… acquaintance of mine. You might know her." My shoulders tightened. "Who?"

Uncertainty flashed across my face for a moment, before I regained control of my expression. "It's a surprise." She smirked at me. "I don't like

surprises." She shrugged. "Too bad. I do. Come on. Let's go." I abandoned the half-eaten plate of scrambled eggs, glad to stop eating. She

stood at the door, tapping her foot. "Let's go." I curtly nodded my head, careful to watch my back. "Again, if I wanted to kill you, you'd be

dead. Got it?" I swallowed, glaring at her. "Got it." She shoved me forwards, down a series of steps. "Hurry up!" Ah. Of course. "Patience is a

virtue." I chided. She glared at me, hard. "The virtues can go fuck themselves for all I care." She grabbed the back of my jacket. "Go." Her voice

was as ice. "No." I spoke the words with far more courage than I felt. I was lifted about three inches off my feet. "What was that?" She

demanded. I knew she had heard what I had said. I kicked back at her, grabbing my sword from its sheath as I fell. I pointed it at her. She

laughed. "Did you think I would give you a weapon that could actually harm me? Do you think me that stupid?" My eyes burned. "Quite frankly,

yes." Before I knew it, my hand was struck; in surprise more than pain I dropped my sword. She took it in her hand, holding it to her neck. It

looked quite dull, and she drew it across her neck, not flinching at all. "See? It can't hurt me. You, however…" it was again sharp. She held it

up to my neck and I tensed, awaiting pain. It never came. She handed me the sword, smiling slightly. She pushed me into a car – scratch that,

carriage – that was behind a couple of horses. They, incidentally, were blue and yellow. "Are you… okay?" I asked her as she swung herself in.

"Like, not on ecstasy or anything?" She grinned. "Honey, if I were on drugs, do you think we'd both still have our clothes on?" God, I hadn't

woken up with the aim to be permanently scarred. I rolled my eyes. "If you were on drugs, I would've fought like hell to get away. No

questions asked." She whispered something to the blue horse. "What was that?" I asked. "None of your business." The carriage lurched and

I, surprised by the sudden movement, fell back, into the seat. "Fair enough," I concluded. She smiled, it looked legitimate. "Good." I sat back,

closing my eyes. God, my head hurt. About twenty minutes later, we stopped. I knew because I went flying, out of my seat. "We're here!" The

girl announced cheerfully. We were in front of Taki's. "Seriously?" She shook her head. "No, I'm announcing that we're going into the sewer

system." That actually sounded entertaining. "Yes, seriously. Come on" I walked after her, into the diner. She sat at the very back, at a booth

in a dark corner. I followed her, flinching as some vampires pointed at me. "Don't worry," She muttered into my ear, "You're fine. They won't

harm you. Not here, not now. Besides, no weapons in Taki's, remember?" I furrowed my eyebrows. "Do fangs count as weapons?" "I believe

so…" she answered, "Seeing as there's so many of the Downworld that come here." I shrugged my shoulders, glancing toward the door as it

opened. Nephilim. More particularly, Isabelle. Shit. I forced myself not to try and slip out, focusing on sitting down in the booth without slipping

in the blood on the floor. The girl waved Isabelle over, shocking me. "What are you doing?" I hissed. She shrugged. Isabelle came over to us,

glaring once she realized who I was. "You said you have information on Jace's whereabouts'?" Her voice was short, business-like. Sort of like it

had been when I had left. The girl leaned back. "Perhaps. I want information in return." Isabelle looked skeptical. "Alou, if this is one of your

'let's go kill everything in sight' moods, I want no part of it." Alou? Interesting. The girl – Alou – smiled. "But you want information on Jace, and

you would kill to get it. Where is Abbadon?" Isabelle leaned back. "Dead." She answered without hesitation. "I believe you are the one who

killed him. Why are you wasting my time asking me stupid questions?" Alou cocked her head, suddenly serious. "I have reason to believe he's

still alive. Get all of the information on him you can, Isabelle, and be back here in three hours. We'll be here then." With that, Alou got up,

grabbing my arm. "Wait. Give me a… deposit." Isabelle spoke carefully, like she was talking to a Greater Demon. Alou turned back around,

towards Isabelle. "Jace and Jonathon are together. They have a plan – a plan that could destroy the Nephilim. Be here with information,

Isabelle, and I'll tell you all I know." With that, Alou stalked toward the door, dragging me with her. She pushed me into her carriage and sat in

the driver's. "_Procidens Taberna_," she whispered. I knew she intended me to understand, for she spoke it in Latin. "The Falling Tavern? Like,a

bar? No. No way. Nothing with alcohol." I evaded her surprised gaze. "Relax. We're not going into the Tavern." I let my breath out slowly.

"Good. By the way, your name… it's Alou?" She rolled her eyes, but didn't answer me. We pulled up to a bar, and my face went pale. "What?

Afraid of alcohol, Leaf?" She teased. "Yes." I whispered softly. She took hold of my elbow and looked into my eyes. "You're going to be alright,

Leaf, okay? Just trust me." I nodded, going with her. She walked up to the bar, unfazed when I tried to pull away. She shoved me toward a

wall, and I tensed for impact, but fell right through. She came through after me. I could definitely smell alcohol, and I froze. I looked around

me. I was in a casino. I went to go back through the wall, but found I couldn't walk through it. "Quare…" I turned back to Alou, my eyes wide.

"Why can't I get out?" I whispered. She laughed. "You can't get out until you've played." I shrugged, straightening my back. "Fine. One game."

She smiled. "I thought you'd say that." I rolled my eyes. "Whatever." She grinned deviously. "What would you prefer? Whisky, Wine, Beer, or a

Spirit?" I shuddered. "No alcohol for me, thank you." She raised her eyebrows. "Why not?" Her voice was curious. "I… don't like it." My voice

was expressionless. "Fine, then. I'll get you a coke." Panic rushed through my veins, but I remained impassive. "And you…?" She laughed. "I

prefer to stay coherent when I'm handling important business negotiations. I would assume you are that way, as well." My eyes flared. "I

prefer to stay coherent all of the time." My voice was frigid. "Whatever. Anyways, I'll go get drinks. You… stay here." I shot her a look. She

gestured to a chair at an empty table, and I grudgingly sat down. I could see the bar from where I sat, and Alou strode over to it. My eyes

wandered around, and a few seconds later, she was back. "Come on, then. What are you familiar with, poker wise?" I grinned. "Twenty-One.

You know, the children's game?" She snorted. "I am not going to play a child's game." I crossed my arms. "Fine, then. I guess we stay here

forever." Alou handed me my coke, and I checked, very carefully, for a break in the seal. "Come on. I'll teach you how to play Five-card draw."

I raised my eyebrows. "That sounds even stupider than Twenty-One." She grabbed my arm, looking me in the eye. "It is. So… whatever." She

dragged me over to a table. "Hey, guys! Twenty-One, alright?" She yelled. Several vampires strayed over, as well as some werewolves. "Hey,

sweetie." One of the vampires greeted. I wasn't sure whether the comment was directed at Alou or myself, but I could smell the alcohol on his

breath. I shrank back, hiding myself against Alou. "Are you going to play or not?" She asked him. Her voice was commanding, powerful. He

didn't answer her, but sat down at the table. A few of his friends sat down by him. They looked quite drunk. A werewolf sat down, disgust

clear to his features as he looked at the vampires. The game, once it started, lasted only a few minutes. Alou stood up. "Let's go, Leaf." I

stood up, glad for a chance to leave. She grabbed my wrist, lightly gripping it as she guided me through the crowd. We reached the way we

had came in, and we walked through the wall. The carriage was at the other side, and Alou pulled me in after her. My head was foggy, and I

felt my heart rate slow. "Alou..." I found it hard to speak. "What the hell was in that drink?" She winced. "Ahhhhh... Some Everclear. It was the

only clear stuff they had, Leaf, and it's ninety-five percent alcohol." I closed my eyes and drew a deep breath. "I tell you I don't want to drink

and you... you put Everclear in my pop? How much." I sighed. She offered a small smile. "Either two or three shots. They have warlocks put it

in, and you actually can't get non-alcoholic stuff." I laid down on the seat, on my side, and closed my eyes. "Leaf?" She seemed quite worried.

"I... Uhhhh. I'm fine." In truth, my head felt like someone had smashed it against the pavement. Like, twenty times. I found it hard to move,

speaking made me feel like somebody had shoved a pile of nails down my throat. "No, you're not. I knew I shouldn't have given it to you, I

was just pissed that you and I had fought. We have to go see Isabelle, anyways. She's going to kill me..." Somewhere, in the middle of her

blabbering, I lost consciousness.

* * *

_An apartment. Cat's eyes. A party, some downwolders. Vampires, werewolves, fey. Someone came into my room - I screamed. He tried to calm me, _

_but a vampire barged in after him and bit me. Blackness._

_An Institute. Somewhere in Wales, I think. "Who is she?" "Who knows?" "The Clave-" "No, we shall not call the Clave. Yet." "But when she wakes _

_up... She has blue hair, Mera!" "I know. But she is a small child - and if she is part of the Shadow world, we will help her." I could recognize two _

_differant voices. A female - 'Mera' - and a male voice. I could feel a hand on my shoulder... my vision started to clear. "Hello? What's your name?" The_

_woman's voice was soft, pleasant. I knew my name. I just didn't know how to tell her. I shrugged my shoulders and felt through my pockets. A letter_

_was there, though I could not read what it said. I held it out to the woman, and she read in silence. "Leaf?" She tried out, experimenting. I nodded _

_my head. "Can you talk?" She asked me. Talking? Talking was a foreign concept. I must have looked confused, for she sighed. "I have to alert the _

_Clave of your prescence. Do you know what you are?" I had heard the meaning of the question before, and I had been taught the answer. It was the_

_only word I had been taught. "Ne... Nephilim."_

* * *

I woke up to Alou shaking me, quite violently. "Leaf! Leaf, wake up, come on..." She yelled. "Stupid Everclear..." She muttered. "I... Whaaaat?"

My voice slurred. She flinched. "Leaf?" She seemed to be quite nervous. "Leaf, are you alright? You screamed, and then you started to cry." At

this point, I had a huge headache, and I was far beyond understanding anything Alou could've said. From here on out, I'll share how Alou

\described the situation after the fact. Apparently I didn't answer her. "Holy crap," Alou muttered, "Isabelle is going to kill me." I remained

silent, not trusting myself to speak. We stopped. Tike's. The worst place in the world to go drink. Other than the Hunter's Moon. Alou lightly

gripped my wrist, gently pulling me out of the cart. We walked into Tike's. Isabelle was already there, and Alou sat down across from her,

Alou's weight pulling me down into the seat next to her. My head tilted back, and I closed my eyes, sighing. "What's wrong with her?" Isabelle

asked Alou. I answered her - or tried to. "Alou - shhe... shhe..." My words slurred. A look of concern flashed over Isabelle face. "Alou, what did

you do to Leaf?" Her voice was steely, commanding. "I gave her a few shots of Everclear. In her coke. Without her knowledge." A look of alarm

crossed Isabelle's face. "What potentacy was the Everclear?" Alou rolled her eyes. "That is not the point of this discusson, so let's get down to

buisiness. What information do you have for me?" Isabelle sighed. "So full potentacy. Let's see, here... some death records, possible sightings

in the past two months, some werewolves that were brutalized... Just look through this stack of paper." Alou glared at Izzy. "Isabelle... useful.

Meaning, pinpointed locations, or possible hideouts. Perhaps, even connections to the outside world, besides the Mafia." Isabelle rolled her

eyes, pulling a few papers out of the middle. A peice of electrum wire fell out of the pile of paper. "Here. A couple possible hideouts, some more

sightings." The peice of electrum fell into my lap off the table. "Fuck." Isabelle pulled it out of my lap. "That's going to leave a mark." Alou raised

her eyebrows. "Isabelle...? Fine, that's enough for now." She got up and grabbed my wrist, hauling my half-conscious form to my feet. "My

information. Now." Isabelle sounded pissed. "They're meeting at the Seventh Sacred Site!" Alou called over her shoulder. She shoved me,

along with her papers, into the carriage. We got back to the apartment, Alou dragging me in and dropping me onto the couch. "Good night,

Leaf. Sleep well." I hadn't heard her, for I was already asleep. Alou went through her door and dragged a desk and chair back in. She

scattered the papers on her desk and went to work.


End file.
